MSE startup Helixomer receives $2M NIH grant to advance breakthrough anticoagulant and reversal agent

Helixomer Inc., a cutting-edge drug development company co-founded by Professor Thom LaBean in 2020, has recently been honored with a $2 million Direct-to-Phase-2 SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant propels the preclinical development of Helixomer’s flagship products: an intravenous anticoagulant and its corresponding reversal agent, poised to compete in the expansive over $10 billion global heparin market.

“We are appreciative of and excited about this NIH award and ongoing support. This grant will enable us to advance further and de-risk our preclinical development program for this pair of drugs.”

Distinguished by their innovative use of proprietary RNA origami technology, Helixomer specializes in crafting novel pharmaceuticals by leveraging advancements from the field of nucleic acid-based nanotechnology.

Expressing gratitude for the NIH award, Helixomer’s co-founding CEO, Professor Thom LaBean, shared, “We are appreciative of and excited about this NIH award and ongoing support. This grant will enable us to advance further and de-risk our preclinical development program for this pair of drugs.” Emphasizing the critical unmet need in the hospital market for precise control of anticoagulation, Prof. LaBean highlighted the inadequacy of current products and explained that the grant allows Helixomer to generate data demonstrating the efficacy and safety of their products.

Co-founded by Professor Thom LaBean and Dr. Abhichart Krissanaprasit—entrepreneurs with extensive expertise in biomolecular design and engineering—Helixomer leads the way in developing therapeutics using a platform technology based on designing and creating novel nucleic acid nanostructures. The company has garnered support from NC State University, the NIH, the NC Biotechnology Center, and loans from the NC Biotechnology Center.

A recent addition to the team is Dr. David Harrell, who joins as the incoming CEO, bringing further strength to Helixomer’s leadership. Looking ahead, Helixomer plans to seek venture capital funding in 2024.

For more information, visit Helixomer’s official website.

This post was originally published in Department of Materials Science and Engineering.